Healthcare on demand

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Published on Sunday, March 6, 2016

By Sharon Smith

President-Pharmacists Manitoba/Community Pharmacist Gladstone Pharmacy

Over the past several years, pharmacists have been increasing the number of services they are delivering to patients. From renewing prescriptions, delivering vaccinations, providing medication management services and prescribing for minor ailments and conditions, Manitoba’s pharmacists are doing more for their patients.

Healthcare on Demand celebrates the great strides the profession has made and helps educate Manitobans about the range of health care services and advice their pharmacists are now delivering. Healthcare on Demand is a provincial campaign to increase awareness about pharmacist services and the need for these to be publicly funded. 

Pharmacists are Accessible

With more than 1,400 licensed pharmacists in Manitoba, working in 372 community pharmacies and 36 in-patient hospital settings, pharmacists are the most accessible health provider in our province. Seeing a pharmacist generally requires no appointment, and their convenient locations mean that pharmacies are close by for most Manitobans, wherever they live. 

Pharmacists are Trusted

Pharmacists consistently rank as one of the most trusted professions in Canada. Canadians know that the information and care provided by pharmacists is based on quality, evidence, and in the best interest of the patient.

Pharmacists are Well Trained

Pharmacists receive intensive, comprehensive education and undergo a rigorous certification process in order to practice. They also pursue ongoing continuing education, and undertake specialized training courses in specific forms of care. Their health care competency and ability to deliver care is unquestionable. 

Pharmacists Enable Sustainable Health Care 

By reducing the number of people needing hospitalization, visiting emergency rooms, or even needing to book appointments with a family doctor, and by effectively treating conditions early, pharmacists are helping to put Manitoba’s health care system on a more sustainable footing. With even greater scope of practice, such as ordering lab tests, pharmacists could deliver even greater efficiencies to our health system.

Pharmacists Provide Variety in Health Care Services

Most Manitobans are unaware of the range of health-related services that they can now access through a pharmacist. Pharmacists are much more than pill dispensers.

Manitoba’s pharmacists can provide consultation and advice about prescriptions and offer comprehensive medication reviews to ensure patients are taking the right medications at the right time. 

Pharmacists also offer preventative services and health coaching including risk assessments for high blood pressure, diabetes and much more. 

Pharmacists can offer treatment of most common minor ailments like allergies and skin conditions. In addition, to ease the burden of managing your health care, pharmacists can arrange for ongoing reminders to stay on your medications and to keep an eye on your health status in case something needs to change.

Publicly Funded Pharmacy Services 

In other provinces across Canada, patients already benefit from these pharmacy services as publicly funded health services. 

Pharmacists are trained to assess patient needs and to identify, initiate and support treatments. “I was a little bit surprised to learn that pharmacists have taken all this training and it’s not being utilized for the benefit of Manitobans,” said Sharon Malec, who quit smoking with the help of a pharmacist.

Pharmacy services for Manitobans should be publicly funded, as they are in many other provinces. Manitobans have been waiting too long for publically-funded pharmacy services such as those available in other provinces. 

For more information and to support the campaign, visit www.healthcareondemandmb.com